Enter The White Tiger (August 1998)

Steve turned off the dvd and the tv and set the controller down. He sat up on his bed and rubbed his face. The world was a very different place he had learned. He had taken weeks reading and watching DVD’s. There was more progress, more equality but also the rich seemed to be so few and the poor so many. Greed and power lust still existed and so did violence. In its evolution humans had learned how to perfect violence. Tony Stark himself made and sold weapons. But it was the people behind the trigger that had evolved into murderous thieves. He had to get out of this tower…

Steve Rogers sat in a pew all to himself. There were quite a few others in the church with him and several had looked his way. His face had been on the news and so he no longer enjoyed anonymity. At least not all the time. Today he could have gone for just being another Joe who wanted to connect with God. He had a lot to be thankful for and God as well, had a lot to answer for.

He lit a candle for his mother, for Bucky and for Peggy. He missed them all and missed the world that he had known as well.

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Frank has been staking out the Restaurant known as Pap Vino’s for weeks. He was hot on the train of a ranking member of an organized crime syndicate known as ‘The Corporation’. Remi De Marco was a ruthless mob Lieutenant but so far he had managed to keep his activities under wraps. Frank couldn’t pin him on anything but he knew he ran a racketeering business in the basement of the restaurant.

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Remi patted the should of Donny Houston. Donny was tied to a metal chair and stripped naked. They found a wire on him and Remi intended on making an example of the man. Several men and women from his inner circle were there as witness. He already had Pavani work the man over with weighted gloves and his face looked like he had been run over by a truck. Or hit with a baseball bat.

“Donny, Donny, Donny,” he said. “I made you and now it’s up to me to ‘unmake’ you,” Remi said. “I’m...disappointed Donny. And everyone hear is gunna take a piece of you before you die,” he said.

The basement was huge. There were crates and boxes everywhere and all the way in the back there was a large room with gambling tables, and chalk boards set up. There were racks of weapons and the whole place smelled like garlic.

Ava Ayala wanted vengeance...she wanted blood. Gideon Mace, the leader of The Corporation, had killed her entire family to try and get his hands on the, Jade Amulet of Power, otherwise known as the White Tiger amulet. The White Tiger amulet was a talisman of the Tiger God and granted enhanced strength, speed, stamina, coordination, agility, durability, and mastery of martial arts to whoever wore it. It had been in Ava's family for generations. It had been worn by her father and then by her brother Hector after Gideon Mace's hirelings had killed their parents and brother and sister. Hector had been hunted down by Gideon and killed in front of Ava. She had managed to get hold of the amulet before Gideon could and now she was determined to kill Gideon herself for all that he had taken from her.

Ava was 26 and of Puerto Rican descent. She had long, black hair and dark brown eyes. Her skin was caramel in color and she had naturally full lips. While in White Tiger form, she wore a head to toe white tiger suit that was skin tight and even had claws on the ends of each fingertip.

She had tracked Remi De Marco to an Italian restaurant called Pap Vino's. He was a Lieutenant in the crime syndicate and she was determined to make him tell her where Gideon Mace was. She had managed to sneak into the restaurant before transforming into White Tiger. She moved down to the basement and hid behind several of the crates and boxes to survey the surroundings. She saw that he and several other gang members were working over a man that was stripped naked and tied to a chair.

"And I'm going to take a piece of you Remi if you don't tell me where Gideon Mace is," she said with a growl in her throat as she moved into view.

Frank was monitoring the room. He had bugged it a while back. He didn't give a rats ass for this Donny, just another thug who was in over his head. One less on the street if they killed him. He hadn't wired it for explosives because of the restaurant. 'Who is that?' He asked himself. Micro was also monitoring. "Whoever she is, she's about to fuck this up for us," He said. "Shiiitttt!" Frank said and got out of the van. He was fully armed but he had to keep Remi alive!

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All talk in the room ceased. Everyone was slackjawed when they saw the woman in the white catsuit. Everyone but Remi who knew who she was. "Well, are you all gunna take pictures? Fuck errr up!" He said and everyone went for either their melee weapon or their guns.

Ava was not nervous in front of these men. She was confident in the abilities the amulet gave her. The amulet glowed green and was attached to a belt around her waist. Ava growled again and then pounced on the man closest to her. Her claws, though not adamantium, were strong and very sharp and cut through the man's gun as if it were made of butter. She moved fast and had superhuman strength and agility. She had no idea that the basement was bugged and that another man was on his way in.

"She's fast...an inhumanly strong. And there is something green that glows on her belt. Her suit is white...you know, I think we are dealing with the White Tiger," Micro said. The video feed wasn't the best but it was enough for him to get a decent look at her.

"I'll hit her with the stun shot," Frank said as he hurried into the restaurant. Just as he stepped in he rolled smoke grenades into the dining and kitchen areas. People began to scream and shout immediately as they got up from their seats to flee. He hurried to the Basement stairs.

Men froze in awe as their weapons were cleaved in two. There were women as well and one had a knife but before she could really use it she was kicked in the stomach and sent sprawling onto the floor. A couple men managed to get off a few shots but one shot hit another mobster in the back. Ava was one place and then the next. She struck, flipped, kicked, spun and struck again. Sharp claws raked a man's face and then a hand like a blade fractured his jawbone. Hands went to face, neck and arms while legs and feet went to sternums, knees and ankles. Bones broke and flesh torn. Remi had doubled back into the poker room while his men tried to deal with The White Tiger. Frank made it down the stairs and loaded the stun shot into his grenade launcher. He pulled out his Desert Eagle Magnum and stepped into the fray.

Ava's anger fueled her strength even more. She was blinded by rage and the memory of what had happened to every member of her family. She was alone now because of Gideon Mace and she was determined to find him and make him pay for what he had done to her. She growled deep from her chest as she moved. The one guy who actually managed to get a kick in that sent her flying into a wall was made to pay for that move. He was lucky to only suffer several broken bones.

Ava spotted Remi and she sprinted towards him and pounced. She grabbed him from behind and got an arm up around his throat. "Where's Gideon Mace?!" With her other hand she positioned her claws next to his eye. Just then, out of the corner of her eye she spotted a new man enter the basement. She ignored him and went back to questioning Remi. "Answer me!"

Remi had tried to shoot the woman but she was just too fast. His shots didn't even get close and before he could reload she was on top of him. She had hit him hard and fast and had him bent back upon his own desk. His heartbeat raced and he was, for the first time, truly afraid that he was going to die.

"Everyone knows where Mace is bitch. It's whose willing to cross him. You think coming here, roughing up my guys will get you Mace? You're an even bigger dumbass than I thought," He chuckled. Blood dripped down the corner of his mouth.

Frank couldn't stop it. And when he finally saw Remi the woman in the white cat suit was on top of him. "God damn you! Do you realize how long I've been watching this guy? You stupid bitch!" He growled. He had seen her fight and he judged the distance between him and them just far enough for her to get one strike at him. He knew she'd go after the pistol once he pointed it at her. He needed to bring her close to get the stun shot on her.

Ava was nearly trembling with anger. All rational thought had left her head. All she could see was red...blood red. Remi wasn't cooperating with her and so she started to lower her claws down towards his left eye. However, before she clawed his eye out she heard a voice directed towards her. She looked up at Frank. Even though Frank couldn't see her face because of her mask he would know she was glaring at him. She growled at him and saw him raise his pistol towards her. In the blink of an eye she moved and she leapt towards him with her claws outstretched...

As the woman cleaved his pistol he shot her point blank with the stun shot and all went dark. Frank took Remi and This White Tiger lady. He had guessed that her green glowing belt thing had something to do with her power so he decided to remove it. Now though, what to do with her?...

Frank was down in security and he had told them to contact Isabella. So when her wrist comms went off it was Richard. "Sorry to bother you Mrs. Stark but there is a man down here...says he knows you? A Frank Castle?" He said.

Isabella had finally been able to get rid of Tony so she could get some work done. There had been some pretty heavy flirting and a little kissing, but Isabella had managed to resist him and shove him out the door. She needed to finish this report for the Stark Industries board. She heard her wrist comm go off and at first she smiled because she thought it was going to be Tony saying something naughty, but when she heard Richard her smile faded. She knew if Frank was there that there was something serious going on.

"I'll be right there," she responded. She got in the elevator and headed down to the first level. She walked into the security office and saw Frank there and another woman who was in a white tiger suit. She appeared to be unconscious. Isabella hadn't seen Frank since the day she had told him that she was marrying Tony. Things between them hadn't ended well, but Isabella still cared about him. She couldn't help herself and she walked over and hugged him. "Hi Frank."

Frank hadn't expected her to come down. And, when he saw her he couldn't think of what to say. They hadn't ended on very good terms. The hug had been unexpected and he found himself hugging her back. She felt 'very good' there but it only lasted a few moments. He looked into her dark eyes when they separated. "This isn't a social call. This...woman, really fucked me up...I mean, not me, personally but what I was doing. I thought about taking her to the police but," he began then drew out her belt form his pocket.

"She's more like one of you," he said as he handed her the belt.

Isabella and Frank had not had a conventional relationship by any stretch of the imagination, but she had come to care for him...and perhaps even love him on some level. She had heard about the Punisher and the work he was doing. She glanced over at the woman he referred to and then took the belt from him. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the green amulet.

"Who is she?"

"I think her name is Ava Ayala aka, the White Tiger...or something to that effect. She roughed up a pretty serious mob boss and his goons. A guy I've been watching for weeks. I don't know what her game is but she's after Gideon Mace," He said. Everyone knew who Gideon was. And Though the woman was good, she wasn't 'that' good to take him on by herself. Even Frank knew better than that. He had been going at him by taking his operation apart by going after the smaller pieces.

"Can ya take er off my hands?" He asked.

Isabella glanced at the woman when Frank told her that she was after Gideon Mace. He must have done something terrible to her to make her want to take him on. She sighed a little when Frank asked her to take Ava off his hands. She wasn't entirely sure how Tony was going to take this. They didn't know this woman and they already had several other people living with them. However, if she was as good as Frank said she was then perhaps she could help them with the team.

She activated her comm link and spoke to Logan. She asked Logan to come down to the security office. When he got there she looked at him. "This is Ava Ayala. She's going to be staying with us for a while. Would you mind carrying her upstairs to the third guest room?"

Logan frowned when Isabella asked him to 'carry' an unconscious woman upstairs. He gave Frank an appraising look. He almost thought about sticking around to make certain she was alright but there were alot of security nearby. "I'm not a doorman," He grumbled as he picked the unconscious woman up. She was solid but still fairly light. He picked her up without issue and got into the elevator. She was draped over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes as the doors closed.

Frank pursed his lips as he turned back toward Isabella. "Well you look as hot as ever. I heard you're a mother now...hows that working for you?" he said as his eyes looked at her body. Frank had a way with just his eyes that made it clear what he was thinking. He was trying to imagine her with swelled breasts.

Isabella felt the tension rise for a moment as Logan and Frank eyed one another. She was grateful when Logan didn't argue with her and picked up Ava. She watched him drape her over his shoulder and step into the elevator.

As the elevator doors closed she looked back at Frank. She rolled her eyes and sighed a little at his comments. However, she couldn't deny then, and even now, that she liked the way Frank looked at her. She enjoyed the attention and it gave her a boost of confidence to know that even after giving birth that she could still turn heads.

"Her name's Serena. She's three months old." She was quiet a moment as she looked at him before she spoke again. "How are you doing Frank? I worry about you."

Frank frowned at her again and tilted his head. Richard narrowed his eyes at Frank but finally he pulled back into the office and gave them some space.

"How am I doing? Odd that you never really asked me that when we were in bed. Now you ask? How do you think I'm doing? My family is still dead and I miss you. I miss fucking you," He said honestly. They weren't much for talk though he did listen to her when she vented. Usually after they just had sex. "I'm alone out there Isabella. And I don't need stupid, vengeful women fucking me up," he said.

Isabella sighed and looked at Frank. "I'm sorry Frank, but it was never going to work between us. I mean you were lying to me about what you were doing. I do miss you though. I miss your friendship and I do still think about you. You deserve to be happy."

"No I don't. And neither do you. Not for what we've done," He said as he stepped up toward her. He was tall, broad and thick. He recalled that she liked his weight on her. "You can live whatever life you want but it won't change the things we've done. Nor the things that have been done to us," Frank said. His voice sounded angry and he was angry. Angry he had to deal with this shit. This Tiger woman really screwed him over. Angry that he was lonely. Angry that Isabella was just as beautiful as ever. Angry that he still had dreams of his wife and his boy...and of her. He scowled as he struggled to moderate his tone.

"Are ya happy?" he said finally.

Isabella had to look up at Frank as he stepped up towards her. She didn't move. Frank could be very intimidating, but she knew he wasn't going to hurt her...despite how angry he was. She hated knowing that he was lonely, but there was only so much she could do to help him.

She sighed a little at his question and looked down for a moment before looking back up at him. "Yes, I'm very happy," she said and Frank would know it was true.

"Well, then I guess you can live with it. I'm not so well adjusted Isabella. You get into your fancy suits with your fancy weapons and get to save the world. I'm stuck on the street in the mud with the scum. I know who killed my family and I can't get to them," He said then pointed to the elevator. "And dumb fucks like that just come in and fuck my game all up," He growled. He was a bit more rough around the edges than he had been. The harshness of his chosen profession was beginning to turn him into the scum he was after.

Isabella blinked at Frank’s harshness. She didn’t know this Ava woman, but Frank didn’t either and therefore had no real right to judge her. “Frank, have you considered that maybe you and Ava are more alike than you think? You’re after vengeance for your family and it sounds like she was after something similar. You say she was standing in your way and screwing everything up for you, but maybe you just did the same to her. Don’t judge this woman until you know her Frank. I know for a fact that you don’t like people doing that to you. Just give her the benefit of the doubt.”

Frank pointed at her. "You just keep her away from me and her vengeance. No one takes Mace down but me. And you can tell her that. I don't give a flying fuck about her and I don't want to. Are we clear?" he said.

Isabella raised an eyebrow at what Frank said. She wasn’t liking his attitude at the moment. “Fine. I’ll keep her away from you. But let me tell you something Frank. If you continue on like you are now then you will always be alone. Goodbye Frank.” She turned and walked out of the security office and to the elevator.